Syndicate

People's Democratic Party (Indonesia)

The left-wing People's Democratic Party (PRD) held its eighth
congress in Jakarta from March 24-26. This was the first time its
congress was held openly.

By Alex Bainbridge, Jakarta

April 13, 2015 -- Green Left Weekly, posted at Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- The left-wing People's Democratic Party (PRD) held its eighth congress
in Jakarta from March 24-26, 2015. This was the first time its congress was
held openly. The open congress marks an important new stage of development for the
party, which has a history of underground organising dating back to the
era of the Suharto dictatorship that was overthrown in 1998.

The congress launched a large-scale campaign for the PRD to achieve
the stringent requirements of electoral registration in time for the
2019 elections. It also emphasised politics designed to forge national
unity in the struggle against imperialism.

The PRD was formed out of — and helped lead — a resurgence of
struggle against the Suharto regime in the 1990s. Suharto came to power
in a 1965 military coup that involved massacres that killed an estimated
1 million leftists.

The failed coup attempt was crafted around a plan that involved creating an economic assault on the country, creating an international debate around a supposed humanitarian crisis, a political coup involving officials who would turn on the government, and finally a military coup that would lead to the installation of the transitional program. The coup plotters even planned to bomb Miraflores [presidential] Palace and the TeleSUR offices in Caracas, as well as conducting assassinations of both members of the opposition and the government, including President Maduro, during the ensuing chaos once the coup unfolded.

[Below are statements issued by socialist and progressive organisations in the Asia-Pacific region. More will be posted as they come to hand.]

* * *

Statement of the Socialist Alliance (Australia)

March 6, 2013 -- The Socialist Alliance in Australia expresses its deepest sympathies
with the people and government of Venezuela on the death of Companero
Hugo Chavez Frias on March 5. His passing is a huge loss for all
peoples, across Latin America and the globe, struggling for a world free
of inequality, exploitation and oppression.

It is testament to Hugo Chavez’s great leadership that, while mourning
his death, we are also confident that the Bolivarian Revolution and the
new movement for socialism of the 21st century that Chavez inspired will
be continued by the mass of people, to whom he worked so hard to give
power.

November 12, 2012 -- Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- It is an extraordinary thing for thousands of ordinary people to mob an
inauguration ceremony for a new governor for Jakarta. And yet this
is exactly what happened on October 15, 2012, according to the progressive
Indonesian publication Berdikari Online. It reported that
thousands of people -- many from Jakarta's urban poor
communities -- braved the scorching heat to welcome the incoming
governor Joko Widodo (better known as Jokowi) and his deputy
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

Peter Boyle interviewed Dominggus Oktavanius, secretary-general of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD)
of Indonesia about this development, which is being hotly debated in
the Indonesian left. Translation by Rebecca Meckelberg.

* * *

Peter Boyle: Why is the Jokowi-Basuki team so popular? What were Jokowi's achievement as the previous mayor of Surakarta/Solo?

April 26, 2012 -- We, the undersigned organisations,
are deeply concerned about the continuous repression against social activists
under lèse
majesté
law in Thailand, including Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, a labour activist who has
been imprisoned without bail since April 30, 2011.

We
are concerned about Somyot’s continuous imprisonment, his transfer to another
prison and his bail request being denied numerous times.

Somyot
is known for his tireless work in the workers’ movement and to establish
democratic trade unionism in Thailand. In 2007, he became editor of the Voice
of Taksin magazine (now called Red Power), a political publication
opposed to the military coup. Somyot is the chair of the Union of Democratic
Labour Alliance and the leader of 24th June democracy group, which was formed
in the aftermath of the military coup in September 2006.

One of the 1063 fuel price protests held in Indonesia in March 2012. Photo by Sari Putri.

April 4, 2012 --Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal/Green Left Weekly -- The following interview with Dominggus Oktavanius, secretary general of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PRD) of Indonesia, was conducted by Peter Boyle. It follows a month of mass unrest and
demonstrations all around the country during March 2012. Indonesian Police Watch
(IPW) reports there were 1063 demonstrations, 16 police stations were
damaged and 750 protesters were arrested just between March 23-26 . IPW
was established in 2002 by the law faculty of the University of
Indonesia but is now an independent monitoring organisation. All photos by Sari Putri.

December 11, 2010 -- A successful "socialism conference" was held in Manila from November 27 to 28. The conference was organised by the socialist Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM, Party of the Labouring Masses) and the socialist-feminist regional network, Transform Asia. The conference was attended by 100 delegates, leaders of the PLM from Metro Manila and other leading socialists of the Philippine left, as well as 13 international guests.

The international organisations represented were the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM); People’s Democratic Party (PRD-Indonesia); Working People’s Association (PRP-Indonesia); Political Committee of the Poor-People’s Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD-Indonesia); Left Turn Thailand; Socialist Alliance (Australia); the Left Party (Sweden); the General Confederation of Nepalese Trade Unions (Gefont); the Vietnamese Union of Friendship Organisations; and the Centre for Environment and Community Asset Development (Vietnam).

Transfer confirmation can be obtained from A J Susmana at +62 817 654 6427.

* * *

Translated by Rismi

November 9, 2010 -- Berdikari -- According to the Data Communications Center of the health ministry, the
death toll of the Mount Merapi eruption on October 26, 2010, has increased
to 168, while 1105 others were injured and still hospitalised and
279,779 evacuated.

Therefore, in solidarity with the victims of the Merapi eruption,
since November 1, the Indonesian Poor People’s Union (SRMI) has
set up disaster relief centres (posko) in eight districts, namely
Mungkid, Salam, Ngluwar, Salaman, Muntilan, Mertoyu, Srumbung and
Borobudur districts.

November 4, 2010 -- Berdikari -- The National Front of Indonesian Workers’ Struggle (FNPBI) held its
fifth congress on October 24-26 in Denpasar Bali. About 300 FNPBI
organisers from nine provinces of Indonesia attended the opening ceremony.
It was also attended by Agus Jabo Priyono, the chairperson of People's Democratic Party (PRD), and
Agung Winarte from the Labor Department of Bali Province.

Agus Jabo, in his solidarity message, highlighted the importance of
workers organising themselves and being at the forefront of the
national liberation struggle. He disagreed with the idea that labour
movement should not be political. He asserted that to alienate the
workers from the political arena is the same as to deny the workers a
better future.

June 25, 2010
-- As Israel stands increasingly isolated following its manufactured confrontation
on May 31, 2010, with the peace flotilla in which nine Turkish activists on the
Mavi Marmara were murdered, now is
the time to increase the pressure on Israel to lift the siege of Gaza.

Israel’s
criminal blockade of Gaza is aimed to collectively punish 1.5 million Gazans
for their choice of government.

The attack on
the flotilla was aimed at demoralising Palestinians and their supporters. But,
as we've seen from the global protests – particularly in Turkey and the Arab
world – it has backfired on the Netanyahu government. Turkey, once a close
political and military ally, has now distanced itself from Israel and supports
attempts to break the Gaza blockade.

Jakarta, May 25, 2010 -- Since March, the
United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the Red
Shirts, began a massive protest against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. A
government that came to power not through democratic elections but
installed by the military and endorsed by the monarchy.

The following joint statement of
solidarity -- initiated by Socialist
Alliance, Australia -- has been signed by a number of
left and progressive organisations in
the Asia-Pacific region. If your organisation would like to sign on,
please
email international@socialist-alliance.org.

* * *

Joint statement from Asia-Pacific left and progressive organisations

May 13, 2010

We, left and progressive organisations from the Asia-Pacific region, express our solidarity with the resistance of the Greek people against the harsh austerity being imposed upon them by the governments of the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The proposed “rescue package” for the Greek economy by the IMF-EU has triggered a huge struggle that will have worldwide ramifications for working people.

The following joint statement of
solidarity -- initiated by Socialist
Alliance, Australia -- has been signed by a number of left and progressive organisations in
the Asia-Pacific region. If your organisation would like to sign on, please
email international@socialist-alliance.org.

* * *

May 6, 2010

On May Day, international workers’ day, a huge demonstration of between
500,000-1 million people took place in Kathmandu. Called by the Unified
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), people came from all over Nepal to
make their voices heard.

It was the largest demonstration since the fall of the centuries-old
monarchy and was the culmination of a growing series of mass demonstrations and
strikes aimed at restoring civilian supremacy and democracy. Despite right-wing
rumours and slanders, the marchers were unarmed and there was no violence.

By Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Working People's Association (PRP) of Indonesia, People’s Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia, Turn Left Thailand, Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) of the Philippines, Socialist Alliance of Australia, Solidarity (Australia)

April 10, 2010 -- We are deeply concerned over the current situation in Thailand where military-backed Prime Minister Ahbisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency and started a bloody crackdown amidst escalating protests calling for a fresh election.

Kampung Guji Baru is just one of the many shanty settlements in
the megacity of Jakarta, where an estimated 3 million poor people try to
survive. Now its residents face forced eviction after greedy developers, corrupt government officials and the "land mafia" conspired to get the courts to do their bidding through fraudulent claims and documents. The
developers want to build multistorey luxury apartments and more
shopping malls for the rich. The residents and the Poor People's Union
(Serikat Rakyat Miskin Indonesia, SRMI) are resisting and they ask for
your solidarity.